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oom GH HDH, Royal Victoria all receivers by GEORGE W. TAYLOR, @.C., M.P. i SIMCOE CENTRE SOLICITOR GENERAL Health Minister Larry Grossman recently announced an extra $110 million in funding for Ontario's hospitals. Of this, the Royal Vic- toria Hospital in Barrie will receive $744,700; Penetanguishene General $111,300 and Huronia District $267,100. This funding increase is intended to help our hospital system maintain its levels of excellence in these tight ecomomic times. The increase brings the total spernding on hospitals to $3.3 billion this year--more than the total budget for the whole Ministry of Health only five years ago. HEALTH CARE Because health care and hospitals are facts of life which affect all of us at some time, I thought it important to take this opportunity to explain the ae funding system that the ministry will be applying. Hospitals reporting an operating deficit at the end of the fiscal year had, under the old system, to negotiate with the Ministry for a full or partial recovery of the amount of the deficit. However, this practice led to some bitter debates on the question of underfunding versus overspending. This year, however, the new funding system will end this. We expect this to be a turn-around year for the hospitals. The base which the ministry was using to calculate hospital budgets was established a number of years ago. Some hospitals have argued that it was unrealistically low and claimed that they were being underfunded. This will no longer be the case. All hospitals will be given a new budget base from the current year which is based on what they actually spent to provide services last year. AMOUNTS In order to bring that level up to date for '82- 83, appropriate amounts will be added to account for inflation and for increases in workload. The government will also provide additional funds to fully cover the cost of salary increases negotiated under the Inflation Restraint Program once it is passed through the Legislature. In future, the new base will be used with appropriate increases to reflect the higher costs of approved services. The government will not be prepared to accept or pay for deficits incurred in this year or future years. Because their budgets will be based on the actual amount which they spent in the last fiscal year, hospitals should be able to con- tinue the same levels of service as before. They will be expected to manage in a manner which will neither incur a deficit nor reduce services in a way that will jeopardize patient care. BOARDS The Ministry of Health has offered to work with hospital boards and administrators who anticipate difficulty living within these new budgets, and the Minister of Health has written to the Chairman of each hospital board to ask for his or her assistance in dealing with the inflationary pressure on the hospital system. Ontarians have a right to consider them- selves fortunate in their hospital system. We do have one of the finest in the world, and it is available to every resident of the Province. The Health Minister's new plan will help us maintain the level of excellence we have all come to expect from our hospitals in spite of the econ omic climate that is taking its toll elsewhere. Midland Town Centre Your Home for Christmas 509 Dominion Ave., The Right Gift for that Special person Decorator ; Clocks COO % OFF yi 'ca Chains © LO%orr Select one of these pre-Christmas Bargains Gunther's Watch Centre Midland Town Centre For these and other great Stocking Stuffer ideas, visit... G ARCADE 286 King Street, Midland Town Centre RADRAAAAAARAAARAARAARRARAAAAAA 526-3933 TRARRARAARAARAARAARAARAAAAARANA Give her a beautiful Christmas... GUARDIAN PHARMACY 526-8011 Page 18, Wednesday, December 1, 1982 Armstrong imperial Accotone 258 King St., Midland Town Centre 526-8983 selection of clothing by the ultimate jeans eBlouses (ame Seem. TNIRARR I RR NS RR For people who demand Fashion with their Casual wear... _we feature a good eJeans & Cords eSkirts eJackets eVWarm-up Suits All sizes for Men & Ladies! Featuring the finest in authentic Chinese and Canadian merchandise ePorcelains-dishes, vases, etc. eClothing eSlippers -eLinens-tablecloths, napkins ePictures eSouvenirs and many others! ee ae ee Se NN OS NNN NENA ACN ACN XN NEMEC RTN, N LO oR ON, NEN LEE'S STORE Open daily 9a.m. to 15:30 p.m., Friday to 9p.m. 233 King-St., Midland Phone 526-3596 ERNE GSO Ne SN Sa A NOL NLR nt LN DING SV NRSK EME NONE SNS NNN AAC NEN NOAZER ONE OG EEN